So It Was You, You Crazy Woman

Sword God Palace, the rear garden.

The sun shone warmly, and a gentle breeze stirred the air.

The surface of the lake glittered, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

Ye Xuan was playing in the lake with Ying’er. Their laughter, clear as silver bells, echoed through the garden.

“Husband, take this!”

Ying’er scooped up a handful of cool lake water with both hands and splashed it toward Ye Xuan. Droplets scattered in every direction, refracting rays of sunlight into dazzling rainbows.

“You little minx. You’re getting bolder by the day!”

Pretending to be angry, Ye Xuan chased after Ying’er with a laugh. The two of them ran and played in the waist-deep water, sending splashes flying as their laughter rang out without end.

Then, all of a sudden—

The sky darkened.

An intensely cold and violently oppressive demonic aura descended like dark clouds pressing down from above, enveloping the entire rear garden. The temperature of the lake plummeted, and a thin layer of frost even began to form across its surface.

Ye Xuan and Ying’er froze at the same time.

Ye Xuan raised his head toward the sky. His brows furrowed slightly, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

“It’s Bai Qiangu.”

The moment the words left his mouth—

Boom!

A blood-red demonic figure plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily onto the stone pavement beside the lake.

The terrifying shock wave sent the lake water surging several yards into the air, the enormous waves sweeping outward in every direction.

Ye Xuan reached out to shield Ying’er in his arms. A flash of spiritual light appeared beneath his feet, and he stood steadily upon the surface of the lake.

He stared coldly at the demonic figure, the corners of his lips curling into a mocking smile.

The demonic shadow gradually dispersed, revealing the figure within.

She wore a bright-red gown, resembling a blooming red spider lily. Her skin was as fair as snow, and her features were exquisitely beautiful. Her long, narrow phoenix eyes were filled with fury and resentment.

Her jet-black hair whipped about in the demonic aura. She was breathtakingly beautiful, yet incomparably dangerous.

It was Bai Qiangu.

The instant she saw what was happening on the lake, her enchanting eyes turned crimson.

She stared fixedly at Ying’er in Ye Xuan’s arms, murderous intent boiling within her gaze.

“Ye Xuan!”

Bai Qiangu’s voice was shrill and piercing, filled with barely restrained rage and jealousy. “You—you’re actually playing in the water with another woman?”

She walked toward the lakeshore one step at a time. Her bright-red gown dragged across the ground, and every step she took left deep cracks in the stone.

Terrifying demonic aura churned around her. The surrounding plants withered in an instant, and even the stone pavement began to fracture.

“I came all this way, terrified that something might have happened to you! And what about you? You’re here flirting and fooling around with another woman?”

Bai Qiangu ground her teeth, tears even glimmering in her eyes. “You heartless bastard! How can you possibly face me after this?!”

Ye Xuan looked at the woman before him, who seemed to have gone completely mad, his face utterly expressionless.

He slowly released Ying’er and let her climb ashore. Then he stepped across the surface of the water, walking toward Bai Qiangu one step at a time.

“I was wondering who it could be.”

Ye Xuan’s voice was cold enough to freeze the air, carrying undisguised mockery. “So it’s you, you crazy shrew.”

“Crazy shrew?!”

Bai Qiangu’s voice rose sharply. She stared at him in disbelief, her eyes widening. “You called me a crazy shrew?! Ye Xuan! Have you forgotten the vows we made to each other? Have you forgotten the promises you made to me?!”

“Promises?”

Ye Xuan let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with disgust. “You have the nerve to bring up promises? Have you forgotten that harem of male pets you kept in the Boundless Demon Sect? Have you forgotten how you flirted and exchanged suggestive glances with those men right in front of me?”

Bai Qiangu’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Her lips trembled as she hurriedly tried to explain. “Husband, those male pets were all fake! Not one of them ever touched even a finger of mine. I only found them to provoke you.”

“In this life and the next, my body and my heart belong only to you! How could I ever let anyone else touch me?”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Ye Xuan raised a brow, his tone full of disbelief. “You say they were fake, so they were fake? Why should I believe you? You were the one who told me with your own mouth that you had dual-cultivated with those men.”

Bai Qiangu’s tears finally began to fall.

She bit her lip, her eyes filled with grievance and pain.

She knew that no matter how she explained herself, Ye Xuan would not believe her easily. After all, she truly had gone too far back then.

But she really had never betrayed Ye Xuan!

Those male pets really had been nothing more than decorations.

She had not even touched their hands!

“Husband…”

Bai Qiangu took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. Her eyes filled with determination.

She walked toward Ye Xuan step by step, then extended a hand and spoke firmly:

“Husband, if you don’t believe me, you can search my soul. I won’t resist. You can see for yourself whether anyone has ever touched me.”

Even Ye Xuan was slightly taken aback by those words.

Soul-searching was an extremely domineering divine-sense technique. The person being searched would endure unimaginable agony, and if anything went wrong, their soul could even be damaged, leaving them a complete idiot.

Bai Qiangu had actually volunteered to let him search her soul?

It seemed that she was telling the truth.

Ye Xuan fell silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and placed it on top of Bai Qiangu’s head.

Bai Qiangu closed her eyes and completely lowered the defenses around her soul, displaying every one of her memories before Ye Xuan without reservation.

Scene after scene flashed through Ye Xuan’s mind.

He saw Bai Qiangu’s childhood. He saw her struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He saw how she had fought and killed her way forward, growing step by step into a demonic overlord who commanded respect throughout the region.

He saw the male pets Bai Qiangu had kept.

Just as she had said, those male pets had merely been hired deliberately to provoke him. What was more, all of them had been killed by her.

From beginning to end, there had only been one person in her heart—him.

The soul-searching ended.

Bai Qiangu collapsed to the ground in agony, her entire body trembling violently.

The unbearable pain of the soul-searching had left her face as pale as paper. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled continuously down her forehead. She curled up on the ground, gasping heavily for breath, looking as though she had been completely drained of strength.

Ye Xuan slowly withdrew his hand, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.

“You truly have never been touched by another man.”

His voice was calm, giving no indication of his emotions.

Bai Qiangu struggled to raise her head. Her eyes were filled with hope and pleading, and though her voice was weak, it was urgent.

“Husband… Do you believe me now? My body… really belongs only to you…”

Ye Xuan was silent for a moment before replying indifferently, “I believe you.”

A radiant smile instantly blossomed across Bai Qiangu’s face, though tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She struggled to get up, wanting to throw herself into Ye Xuan’s arms.

However, Ye Xuan’s next words caused her smile to freeze completely.

“But what about those other matters?”

Ye Xuan’s voice was cold as iron, his eyes devoid of warmth. “How are we supposed to settle the fact that you sent people to kill my parents and my younger sister?”

Bai Qiangu’s body suddenly stiffened.

Her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling violently. Panic and fear filled her eyes.

“Husband… I—I…”

She opened her mouth, but no words of defense came out.

Ye Xuan looked down at her from above, his eyes filled with disgust. “Bai Qiangu, what else do you have to say? What else can you possibly deny?”

Bai Qiangu slumped to the ground, tears streaming down her face like beads falling from a broken string.

She shook her head desperately, her voice filled with despair. “Husband… it wasn’t like that… I was deceived back then! Someone told me that your parents and your sister had forced you to marry, and that was why you betrayed me. I was acting out of anger…”

“I was tricked! I truly didn’t know the truth! If I had known, how could I possibly have hurt your family?”

“Deceived?”

Ye Xuan let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with mockery. “Bai Qiangu, can’t you come up with a more original excuse?”

“You women always push the blame onto someone else, no matter what you’ve done.”

Bai Qiangu sobbed so hard she could barely breathe. Kneeling on the ground, she clung desperately to the hem of Ye Xuan’s robe and pleaded, “Husband, I truly know I was wrong! I’m begging you—don’t marry Ye Jiuhuang, all right? You can beat me, curse me, or even kill me, but please don’t abandon me!”

Ye Xuan looked down at her, his eyes devoid of pity.

He reached out and pried her fingers away one by one, pulling the hem of his robe free from her grasp.

“Between us lie too many lives.” Ye Xuan’s voice was terrifyingly calm. “My parents, my sister, and countless other loved ones. Bai Qiangu, do you really think we can still be together?”